The Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013 received Royal Assent last week after weeks of 'ping-pong' between the House of Commons and the House of Lords. One of the most controversial aspects of the original proposal was that it allowed employers to 'buy out' employment rights at the outset of employment, rather than at the end under a compromise agreement. See a more detailed discussion on our new Be Aware website.

Parental leave has increased from 13 to 18 weeks. Both men and women are entitled to parental leave, up until the child reaches the age of 5. For each child that receives disability allowance, the increase applies up until they reach the age of 18. In the case of multiple children, the employee has the right to take unpaid parental leave in respect of each child, but will only be eligible to unpaid leave for four weeks of the year.
 

Unpaid parental leave can include schooling problems, adjustment in childcare arrangements, the need to spend more time with their children or attending medical appointments. All employment rights are protected during such periods of leave.
 

The draft Regulations that implement the reduction in the redundancy consultation period from 90 days to 45 days where employers are proposing to dismiss as redundant 100 or more employees have been published. The news of the reduction was first covered in our Be Alert.

The draft Regulations state that the reduction will apply to "proposals" of redundancies made on or after 6 April 2013. They also confirm that the time before dismissal that an employer needs to notify the Secretary of State of proposed redundancies will be changed to match the minimum consultation period. Click here to see the Regulations in full.
 

The Government has published two consultation papers, on proposed changes to TUPE and early conciliation, and a response to consultation on ending the employment relationship. For more information, please see our Be Alert.